Best ‘roid line of the day, so far

“The new scouting report says: Throws left, bats left, injects right.”

Joel Achenbach in a post on How to Fix The Baseball Record Book.

Youngest big leaguer

Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Joe Nuxhall has died. Long before he was a broadcaster Nuxhall set a major league record:

Nuxhall’s place in baseball lore was secured the moment he stepped onto a big-league field. With major league rosters depleted during World War II, he got a chance to pitch in relief for the Reds on June 10, 1944.

No one in modern baseball history has played in the majors at such a young age — 15 years, 10 months, 11 days old. He got two outs against St. Louis before losing his composure, then went eight years before pitching for the Reds again.

SI.com

Why Baseball Players Might Be Underpaid

The baseball season is over and its season of free agency has begun. With Alex Rodriguez seeking at least $350 million over 10 years — which would be the richest deal ever, by far — and mediocre 39-year-old closer Todd Jones getting a $7 million, one-year deal, you might expect to hear outcries about this apparent greed in the sports pages. But two factors make these numbers, when placed in context, much less than they seem.

First, a dollar just isn’t what it used to be. When Mr. Rodriguez signed his previous 10-year, $252 million contract in December 2000, the Federal Reserve’s index of the dollar’s value relative to other currencies was over 105. Now it’s barely over 71. In terms of imported goods, his minimum desired contract is less than his prior deal. (He opted out of the last three years to seek a new one.) As Tim Marchman writes in the New York Sun, “Imported goods and gasoline are more expensive; a dollar buys less than it once did, and so people want more of them in exchange for services.”

The Numbers Guy

He has more on value in major league baseball.

Uh oh, God has the same baseball issues Hillary and Rudy have

Hillary grew up with the Cubs but said she was a Yankees fan while running for Senator in New York. Rudy loves the Yankees but says he’s rooting for the New Hampshire Red Sox in the Series.

Well, it seems God has the same problem.

The Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox will play for the World Series starting Wednesday night. Colorado and Boston aren’t just the best teams in baseball—they’re also perhaps the two most faith-based organizations in the game. The Colorado Rockies’ emphasis on Christianity was first reported by USA Today in 2006 and has recently received more coverage. In recent years, the Red Sox have also had an abundance of evangelical Christians in their clubhouse, including Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, and Jason Varitek.

Slate Magazine

The Fall Classic

The 103rd World Series begins Wednesday night in Boston’s Fenway Park, weather permitting (showers are forecast).

12,000 and other idle chatter

NewMexiKen has 11,999 songs (tracks) in my iTunes library. And while I have more CDs to import, I thought I should celebrate by getting something special from the iTunes store for number 12,000. Any ideas?

I spilled a lot of bird feed yesterday and this morning the film crew for the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is sizing up my backyard — a dozen mourning doves, sparrows, finches, a partridge or two, scrub jays.

Apple stock rose more than 8 percent in the first hour this morning on yesterday’s earnings report of $1.01 a share. I keep thinking it’s peaked and “now” would be a bad time to buy — and it’s up nearly 30% in a month. As Jimmy Jones sang:

Oh you need timin’
A tick a tick a tick of good timin’
Timin’ timin’ timin’ timin’
Timin’ is the thing it’s true
Good timin’ brought me to you

Big fuss because J.K. Rowling told an audience Dumbledore was gay. That’s a surprise? Didn’t people read the books?

The Cleveland Indians logo, Chief Wahoo, has got to go. Can you imagine them getting away with that type of a caricature with African or Asian-Americans or Hispanics (think of the fuss over Sambo or the Frito Bandito)?

Overnight Annie and SnoLepard added some interesting pairs in the comments to the Whom would you rather be? list.

World Series Ticket Update

This morning, after more than 8.5 million hits on the Colorado Rockies website, Paciolan (Pack-ee-o-lan), Major League Baseball’s ticket vendor, experienced a system wide outage that impacted all of its North American customers. As a result, the Colorado Rockies have suspended the sale of 2007 World Series tickets scheduled to be played at Coors Field.

The Official Site of The Colorado Rockies

Pretty much the same thing happened to Cleveland’s pitching staff.

Best McCarver line of the day, so far

My favorite one ever was when Tim McCarver said, in the 2003 World Series, “Beckett’s retired 19 batters through Six and a third innings, he’s having a phenomonal night…”
 
Of course, Beckett hadn’t retired 19 straight, nor was “straight” ever said. The very definition of Six and a third innings is that 19 batters have been retired… every pitcher who has ever pitched Six and a third has retired 19 batters, regardless of if they were throwing a perfect game or were losing 20-0. Phenomonal indeed!

ShutupTimMcCarver.com

Most indicative line of the day, so far

“It’s six in a row retired by Beckett — tailing fastball to Gutierrez. (Pause) I said six in a row — that’s ten in a row. One more time, the third time’s the charm — nine in a row retired by Beckett.”

—Tim McCarver last night

300 million people in this country and Tim McCarver is covering baseball’s premier games.

It just makes me scream

The Indians are playing the Red Sox and the the Fox announcers are talking about the Yankees.

Just shut up!

The World Serious

NewMexiKen is hoping — against long odds I’m sure — to get World Series tickets for a game in Denver. They’re being sold strictly online beginning Monday.

I’ve been to one World Series game — 1972 in Oakland vs. the Cincinnati Reds. It cost $10 from a guy unloading tickets — and I hesitated. Five hall-of-famers to be (Bench, Morgan, Perez, Hunter and Fingers), a hall-of-fame manager (Anderson) and Pete Rose played in that game. Reggie Jackson was there, but injured and did not play.

Prices in Denver range from $90 to $250. (Not counting what they call the Rockpile in deep centerfield. It’s only $65.)

Name the Major League teams

… that have never been to a World Series.

Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (47 seasons)

Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (39 seasons)

Seattle Mariners (31 seasons)

Colorado Rockies

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (10 seasons)

Best line of the day, so far

“Hillary [is] so far ahead of Barack in the polls it’s like being up 7 games with 17 to play.”

FARK.com

Best line about Fox Sports today, so far

“I know I don’t have to tell you this, but Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are back to ruin yet another American League Postseason.”

Awful Announcing

9 Baseball Moments More Wretched Than Steroids

Via Sideline Chatter, here are 9 Baseball Moments More Wretched Than Steroids.

#9 Ty Cobb “Beat up a one-handed heckler in the stands.”

August 18th

… of Rosalynn Carter; she’s 80.

… of Robert Redford; he’s 70. Redford has been nominated for two directing Oscars, winning for Ordinary People. His only acting nomination was for The Sting.

… of Rockabilly great Johnny Preston, singer of the classic “Running Bear.” He’s 68.

… of Martin Mull; he’s 64.

… of Patrick Swayze; he’s 55.

… of Madeleine Stowe; she’s 49.

… of Edward Norton; he’s 38. Norton has both a leading and a supporting Oscar nomination but no wins yet.

… of Christian Slater; he too is 38.

Roberto Clemente should have been 73 today. The Puerto Rican born Baseball Hall of Fame inductee won four National League batting titles, was MVP in 1966 and finished his shortened career with exactly 3,000 hits. Clemente died at age 38 in a plane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on New Year Year’s Eve 1972.

Antonio Salieri was born on this date in 1750. After his characterization as a villain in Peter Shaffer’s play and film Amadeus, it seems Salieri has made a bit of a comeback. According to a December 2003 article at Guardian Unlimited and other sources, while there was competition between the upstart Mozart and the established artist Salieri in Vienna, there was cooperation, too; that is, what transpired between them was typical office politics.

Meriwether Lewis was born on this date in 1774. Lewis had this to say on his 31st birthday 202 years ago today, camped just east of Lemhi Pass near the present-day Montana-Idaho border. (From the Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online at the University of Nebraska.)

This day I completed my thirty first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this Sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the hapiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence, and now soarly feel the want of that information which those hours would have given me had they been judiciously expended. but since they are past and cannot be recalled, I dash from me the gloomy thought and resolved in future, to redouble my exertions and at least indeavour to promote those two primary objects of human existence, by giving them the aid of that portion of talents which nature and fortune have bestoed on me; or in future, to live for mankind, as I have heretofore lived for myself.—

His birthday doubts are made all the more poignant, of course, with the knowledge that just more than four years later Lewis took his own life at age 35.

Barry Bonds, the Lord Voldemort of Baseball

Roger Angell puts a good perspective on Barry Bonds.

‘Topes round up

A guy at the Isotopes games last night had a tattoo (among others) on his upper arm. It was a baby’s footprints — like you get with a newborn at the hospital. Kinda cool.

Oh, and the ‘Topes lost 10-4 to the Round Rock Express when the Express broke open a 4-4 tie with 5 runs in the 8th. There was a small crowd as the new school year began yesterday in Albuquerque. The paid attendance was announced at 6,964, but that included a lot of no shows. We were in the fifth row behind the visitor’s dugout (for $11 each).

Tim Raines Jr. was the Round Rock lead off hitter. His dad was a National League All Star for seven seasons and is still fifth all-time in career stolen bases. Tim Jr. went one for five, but drove in two runs with that one hit, a double.

The red chile won.

Things I would change if I ran the team:

• Playing the same cut of music for each Isotopes player EVERY time he comes to the plate.
• Confiscating specialty food from fans entering the park — like diet bars. I realize they need to sell concessions, but come on …
• Having 9-year-olds sing the national anthem when they haven’t a clue what they are singing (good voice or not).
• Sending all the ushers to the front of each aisle between innings to watch the crowd. They need brown shirts, not orange to do this.

Best Bonds, baseball line of the day, so far

“If you’re worried about ‘cheaters’ holding hallowed records, don’t hallow baseball records in the first place. They’re just numbers and it really is only a damn ballgame.”

Charles Pierce

The United Countries of Baseball

From Strange Maps, The United Countries of Baseball.

Moonlight Graham

Those who have seen Field of Dreams or read the book on which it was based, Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, will remember the character “Moonlight” Graham, played by Burt Lancaster in the film.

Archibald Wright Graham (1876-1965) was an actual player — and a doctor. Graham played in one game for the New York Giants. He was in the field for two innings but was on deck when his one game ended.

It was 102 years ago today, June 29, 1905 (in the movie it was the last game of 1929).

Red card

According to the Seattle Weekly the following will get you ejected from Safeco Field, home of the Mariners.

•Foul/abusive language or obscene gestures

•Intoxication or other signs of impairment related to alcohol consumption

•Displays of affection not appropriate in a public, family setting

•Obscene or indecent clothing

•Any disruption of a game or event, including throwing of objects or trespassing on the playing field or other restricted areas

•Sitting in a location other than the guest’s ticketed seat

•Fighting, taunting or making threatening remarks or gestures

•Smoking or the use of tobacco products, in any form

NewMexiKen can’t decide what I think about this. Yes, I’ve witnessed some awful behavior at stadiums, even threatening. Still, some of my fondest memories of ball parks include the guy eating the moths — and kissing his girlfriend; some guys yelling to the lower deck, “Hey Miller, how much for your daughter?” (Miller was the name on the jersey a guy was wearing); and, of course, moving to better seats.

Oh, and catching my teenage uncle smoking when I was 7 or 8 — and threatening to tell Grandma.

Link via Awful Announcing.

When a ballplayer is too old

Letterman’s Top Ten Signs A Baseball Player Is Too Old:

8. While playing outfield, yells at teamates to get the hell off his lawn

7. When buying performance-enhancing drugs, gets the AARP discount

1. When he’s in the on-deck circle, asks bat boy, “What did I come in here for?”

Best sports line of the day, so far

“I’m not one to wish direct harm on anyone, but Clemens is 44 years old (45 in August). The clock runs out on every professional athlete eventually – here’s hoping this is the year it happens to Clemens.”

Awful Announcing on the news that Clemens has signed with the Yankees.

MLB Credits Hank Aaron With 50 Lost Home Runs

MILWAUKEE—In what Major League Baseball officials are calling a “long overdue correction of a gross oversight,” Commissioner Bud Selig announced Tuesday the discovery that Hall of Famer Hank Aaron had in fact accumulated 50 previously unaccounted-for home runs during his illustrious 22-year baseball career, bringing his once record total of 755 to an even higher 805 and putting the all-time home-run record perhaps forever out of reach.

The Onion – America’s Finest News Source

Works for me.